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No idea when this was released; I came across it tonight. https://cleanfeed-records.com/product/an-evening-in-houston/ Patty Waters is a living legend and every record with her voice is, in consequence, a preciosity. Unanimously considered the main singer of the free jazz tendency since the release of her historical ESP-Disk albums “Sings” and ‘College Tour” in the Sixties, and widely known (Diamanda Galas and Patti Smith pointed her as their main reference) for her impressive interpretation of the traditional “Black is the Color (of My True Love’s Hair)”, her influence resisted to a 30 years disappearance from the stages and the studios. The return happened in 1996, but only to a couple more albums and a few concerts. “An Evening in Houston” marks Waters re-encounter with pianist Burton Greene in a 2018 special gig, along with the greats Mario Pavone and Barry Altschul. A repertoire of folk songs, jazz standards (including “Strange Fruit”, a song we all know because of Billie Holiday, Patty Waters’ idol) and compositions by Thelonious Monk and Ornette Coleman show us why this mysterious personality was, and still is, one of the most astonishing innovators of the voice expressive capabilities in music, either singing or using it as an instrument. Yes, it’s that important.

Patty Waters interviewed here.

My god, does singing get any more honest than this? A collection of material from Waters' own personal collection, this set includes a 1964 Jax Beer jingle (w/Joe Newman!), a 1963 demo session for Columbia (produced by Tom Wilson, whose between-take chatter is priceless, a 1960 cut recirded in San Diego (when Waters was still singing, quite well, too, in a "traditional" "torch song" style, and, the real news, pieces recorded in 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1979, years which Waters was allegedly "lost" a la Henry Grimes. The material is a collection of standards and originals. The latter are very, VERY personal in their lyrics. Some might even call them obsessive. They focus on lonlieness and love for somebody who's not there any more (possibly Clifford Jarvis?), and they are at once compelling and disturbing, although Waters' delivery is very, VERY low-key. There's also a long solo piano piece that is simply beautiful. Nothing at all "difficult" about it, but the timing and the sensitivity of the playing makes it difficult not to get pulled in/wrapped up in it. Highlight of the disc for me is a version of "For All We Know" from 1979 - just a vocal-piano duet (all the vocal numbers save for the Jax thing, are piano (either Waters herself or somebody else) and vocal only). This song has a pretty intense lyric anyway, but Waters sings it with a mixture of resignation, sadness, loss, and quiet (VERY quiet) desperation that is the definitive reading of it, at least that I've heard. There's none of the groundbreaking extended vocal techniques of the ESP albums, btw. This is just a collection of songs by a woman who sounds like she's been there and back, and if she hasn't yet begin to find all the piecesto put back together yet, she definitely knows what it'll be like when she does. IF she does (and reports are that she has, thank God). Certainly not for everybody in these less-than-vocalist-friendly parts, but those inclined to get into singers and songs that are totally devoid of artifice and cut straight to the bone of what's going on inside are advised to check it out. It's frighteningly intimate and vulnerable, at times maybe even "unhealthily" so, but I can handle that. BTW - There's a nude photo from 1970 inside the booklet. But it's not nearly as naked as the singing.

A buddy sent me this link to a 1964 Jax Beer jingle featuring Patty Waters of ESP fame. Check it out! http://stasick.org/pattywaters.mp3 I actually think that I remember hearing this on the air regularly in 1964. We were living in Shreveport, La then, and the airwaves were pretty full of Jax beer commercials. The first play of this file "sounded familiar", I can tell you that! PATTY WATERS!!!!!